Date: 1880s-1890s
Size: 11.5 x 15.5 inches
Printer: Pellerin et cie.
About this poster: Imagerie d'Épinal was a print house founded by Jean-Charles Pellerin in 1796 in Épinal, in Vosges, France. It became famous for its brightly-colored mass-market prints depicting popular subjects, such as military histories, folk stories, and religious subjects. In its early years, the print house used wood blocks for printing designs, but around the 1850s, transitioned to using lithographic stones. After printing, the designs would be hand colored, using a stencil. The prints are an early example of popular mass-media as they appealed to the average consumer in an age where information was not yet widely accessible and were brought to cities, as well as rural areas by mobile peddlers. The term "imagerie d'Épinal" later became a popular French idiom to describe a simplistic, overly positive, naive view of reality.
This Épinal print depicts the official military dress of the Turcos, the indigenous North African light infantrymen in Algeria. This print is in good condition, with some minor staining near the bottom, please see photos.
